Enemies
by LNicol1990
Summary: When Eli is found, injuried and unconscious, in a corridor, the hunt is on to find his attackers. Rated T to be safe. DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

Author's note: This chapter is fairly short, but I don't want to put too much in. I promise that later chapters will be longer, if people like what I've done. If anyone's interested in what Scott and Greer are talking about, look up "Kino 6" on the officical MGM Stargate site.

* * *

"I can't believe how pissed he looked when he saw you after that," Lt. Scott laughed, glancing over to his friend, Sgt. Greer.

"I never thought anyone could look so mad, except perhaps Colonel Telford," Greer agreed, laughing also. "I swear: I'm never touching another one of those KINOs again."

The two soldiers laughed good-naturedly. Eli had sent a KINO into the mess hall a couple of days ago, and had talked to Scott and Greer. Lt. Johansen had also been there, and had informed them of Eli's _spying activities_ on female personnel. While the math genius had protested his innocence, Greer had grabbed the KINO and had mockingly threatened to use the KINO to spy on Eli if he was ever caught again.

They all knew it wasn't the threat that had annoyed Eli, since Greer hadn't been able to say one word without a smile plastered to his face. It was more of the fact that, when Greer released the KINO, Eli wasn't able to stop it from flying into a column. The trio in the mess hall had found it rather funny, and found out later that Eli wasn't so amused.

Greer had promised to make it up to Eli, but had yet to find a way. The mathboy had mentioned something about inventing... so maybe that would work. After all, Eli's hover-board had been instrumental to getting ice off the last planet that the Destiny had dropped out of FTL around, and for getting Scott back before he ran out of air in his suit.

"I wonder where Destiny's gonna drop us next," Scott spoke aloud. "I mean; we got air, we got water, what would be really nice is if we could have some more food."

"Yeah, I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of eating the same goddamn paste. Uh- sorry sir," Greer added hastily, remembering that Scott was religious.

"Nah, forget about it," Scott smiled.

The duo continued walking down the corridor in silence for a while before restarting their conversation. The topic moved away from Eli, KINOs, and food and towards getting home, to their lists for what they'd do when they finally got home, and then to who they thought would win in a fight. Their first pairing was Lt. Johansen and Chloe Armstrong.

"I don't know; Chloe's a lot stronger than she looks," Scott stated.

"Yeah, of course you'd stand by your girlfriend," Greer laughed. "I'm sorry Scott, but I'm with- what in the hell?"

Scott looked to Greer, surprised by the man's sudden change in his tone of voice. When he saw the man staring down the corridor, he followed his gaze. What he saw rooted him to the spot.

Someone was further down the corridor, lying on the deck. They were slumped against a wall, arms in what looked like an awkward position. There wasn't any movement from the area, apart from a KINO ball, bobbing up and down above the individual's head. A bright red T-shirt was the final clue to the person's identity. A small, dark pool of liquid was around the math genius' face.

"ELI!" Scott yelled in alarm, running towards the young man.

Greer was running after him in seconds. He stopped and waited as Scott checked Eli for injuries, and for a response. He couldn't help but wince as he saw Eli's nose broken and bleeding, and his right eye was already beginning to turn black from bruising.

Scott gently rested his hand on Eli's chest, below his arm, and quickly pulled away. He didn't like the feeling beneath the man's skin; it made him instantly fear broken bones. He looked up to Greer, and knew he didn't need to give any order.

"This is Sgt. Greer," he spoke into the radio. "Medical emergency: we have a man down in the right hand corridor off the gate room. I repeat: we have a man _down._ Medical emergency!"


	2. Emergency

Author's note: I've taken to answering reviews on the next chapter, and I have to say I'm amazed how many reviews chapter 1 got. If everyone likes the idea, I may do flashbacks to also explain what happened... not that they'll be in order. ^_^ Anyway, the reviews:

_Capt. Cow:_ I'm glad I caught your interest with the first chapter. I hope the rest is satisfactory.

_Adri1577:_ Thank you for your comment, it's taken a long time for me to forge my writing style, and I'm glad you like it. I know, there are loads of mistakes on this site, but nothing's moderated, is it?

_Shorty McGee:_ Yeah, I found the video funny, and I thought it would be perfect to use it for the opening.

_PsychoWing:_ I'm glad you like it, and I hope the rest is enjoyable too.

_Phoenixfire979:_ I would tell you, but then I'd spoil the story. Again, I'm glad my writing style is nice and friendly for you guys.

_River's Stream:_ I'm writing as quickly as inspiration, college and work will allow. I'm always worried about making characters OOC, so thanks for saying I got Scott right.

_Laheara:_ First question: can't answer yet. Second question: everyone's going to be #&%ed. Third question: can I answer that one?

So... reviews done. Enjoy this next chapter!

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-:Three hours earlier:-

Eli rubbed his face, trying to massage the tiredness out of him with little success. He felt stubble pricking against his skin as his fingers passed over his cheeks and chin. He smiled slightly at the feeling whilst wondering when he'd have access to a razor.

"It won't feel so rough when it's a bit longer," Dr Rush noted, not raising his head from the console.

Eli quickly returned his focus to the displays on his own console. He felt slightly embarrassed that Rush had caught him being so captivated about his beard-in-the-making. He also wondered if it made him seem childish again in the older man's eyes, which he sincerely hoped not.

Since their departure from the ice planet, no urgent matters had arisen for him and Rush to address. The need for food was still on the list, but there was little the pair of them could do about that. So, with nothing for them to set their attention on, they had taken to exploring what they could of the Destiny's database and investigating systems to discover their purpose.

Eli looked over to Rush and chewed his lip. He wanted to ask the man a question, but he wasn't sure how it'd be taken. He watched the scientist as he absorbed everything that was thrown out before him from the console.

Ever since his caffeine/nicotine/sleep deprived nervous breakdown, Rush had turned learning everything about the Destiny his new addiction. It seemed to help him deal with the worst of the withdrawal, and it was practical at the same time. When he found something really interesting in the database, it was almost dangerous to divert his attention.

"Um... Dr Rush?" Eli called quietly.

Rush lifted his head and focused on the math genius. The kid looked haggard, even worse than him. Eli was starting to get bags under his eyes, the unshaven look wasn't working for him, and he had the remnants of a bruise over a cheekbone. Eli had been embarrassed when he admitted that he had accidentally flown a KINO into his face, but Sgt. Greer and Lt. Scott had found it rather humorous, assuring the math boy that everyone was entitled to make a couple of mistakes.

Eli had the same uneasy expression on his face now as he had then as he spoke.

"Um... when is it okay to lie?" he asked.

Rush blinked, lifting his head slightly higher. He frowned at the question, wondering what had caused this particular subject. Obviously his confusion showed on his face, for Eli continued and explained.

"Well, neither you nor Lt. Johansen were going to tell Colonel Young about those alien bugs, and she lied to him saying that we had it under control. She didn't tell everyone about them, and even when Gorman was... hurt, she still didn't tell people," Eli explained. "So... why should someone lie like that?"

Rush was silent as he took in what Eli had just said. He hadn't realised that the young man was still thinking about that. Rush regretted being so harsh to him, and had reminded himself that Eli hadn't been trained for this- well, no one had really- and he had been literally yanked out of his life.

"Sometimes..." Rush paused, allowing himself time to think. "Sometimes telling the truth only causes an unnecessary panic. If Lt. Johansen had told everyone about the bugs, Gorman might still have been killed. If she told everyone after he was attacked, people would have panicked. We weren't going to tell Colonel Young because he and Lt. Scott had a job to do. They couldn't do anything from the planet, and if they had come back, we wouldn't have had the water. You see, Eli, there's no point in telling someone of something if there's nothing they can do about it, it can only make things more complicated."

Eli bit his lip thoughtfully, relieved that Rush had taken him seriously. He hadn't expected him to explain everything, but was thankful for it.

"Thanks Dr Rush," Eli smiled, looking down at the console for a moment. "Uh... I'm going to have a look around with the KINO again. I'll be back in a while."

Rush nodded and returned his attention to his console. He inclined his head slightly to acknowledge Eli's departure before returning to his exploration of the Destiny's computer.

-:Present:-

"_Dr Rush, this is Colonel Young. Come in,"_ Young's voice crackled over the radio, surprisingly loud in the silent room.

Rush counted to ten slowly, allowing his heart rate to return to normal, before replying. He wondered what new development had arisen for Young to disturb him, a part of him had the feeling that it was going to be something unimportant and not nearly as interesting as what he was looking at. However, a larger part was more than a little fearful of what had screwed up now.

"This is Rush," he replied into the radio.

"_We've got a situation. I need you to come down to the gate room immediately," _Young ordered, his tone edged with something that Rush couldn't quite identify.

"What kind of situation?"

"_I'll explain once you get down here."_

Rush raised his eyebrows, disbelieving the military man's stubbornness. However, the past few days had taught him that that was just how Young did things... and it reminded him of himself far too much. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll be right there," he assured.

He lowered the power levels in the room before leaving. He quickly backtracked and checked Eli's console, and turned down its power usage as well. He made a mental note to talk to the math genius about that wasteful habit of his.

As he walked through the ship, he saw people doing different tasks. Some were working, while others were just trying to find something to pass the time. No one spoke to him, either because they didn't want to be verbally grilled like Sgt. Riley had been, or they simply didn't have anything that would interest him.

Either way, Rush made quick work of getting to the gate room. Sure enough, Young was there waiting for him. The look on the soldier's face made Rush stop dead in his tracks. Young had a serious expression, which didn't surprise Rush, however, he looked sad, almost apologetic.

"Dr Rush, if you'll just come with me," Young instructed, moving towards the corridor. "I'll explain as we walk."

Still completely baffled, Rush followed the man. They walked slowly as Young was still limping, although he was no longer using his assault rifle as a makeshift crutch. Young sighed wearily before speaking.

"Around eleven hundred hours, Lt. Johansen received a call for a medical emergency from Sgt. Greer. He and Lt. Scott had found a member of the expedition badly beaten and lying unconscious on the floor," Young explained.

The soldier turned to observe Rush. The scientist had a concerned expression akin to someone who had just heard that there had been an assault. Rush also had a suspicious glint in his eyes; he was expecting something and Young guessed that he wanted the victim's name, either that or was preparing himself of being accused of something. Young had to admit: he'd been more than a bit hard on the man, and he decided that he'd given enough suspense.

"It was Eli," he stated simply.

Rush froze mid-step, a look of unadulterated shock replaced everything on the man's face. He stared transfixed at Young, his eyes following the soldier's every movement. He was almost waiting for Young to retract the name, replace it with someone else, but he knew that would never happen. As he felt his body finally thaw through the icy shock, he asked the only question in his mind.

"Is he okay?"

"That's what we're about to find out," Young explained, limping down the corridor again. "TJ should have checked him over by now, and should be able to give a report."

Rush was instantly at Young's side. He wanted to walk faster, but he knew that Johansen wouldn't speak until everyone was present. Within the constraints of his own mind, Rush raced through every conversation he'd had with the math genius, trying to find any detail that might explain what could have caused Eli to be a target.

"When was the last time you saw Eli?" Young asked calmly, though his voice was laced with tension.

"Uh... roughly three hours ago," Rush answered. "He said he was going to... he was going to look at the KINOs again."

"He didn't say anything before that? Nothing was bothering him?" Young pressed.

"No- wait," Rush trailed off as he thought back to his conversation with Eli. "He wanted me to explain why we withheld information to you and Lt. Scott while you were on the ice planet, and why we didn't tell everyone about the alien entity."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Rush confirmed.

Greer looked up to watch Colonel Young and Dr Rush enter the small room that was outside the KINO room. He was sitting on one of the small benches in the room, his feet on the seat, while he sat on the table. He was drumming his fingers on his legs, trying to ignore the urge to do something rash.

Lt. Scott was leaning against the doorframe to the KINO room, which Eli had also claimed as his quarters. He quietly called Johansen's name when he saw the two new occupants of the room. He shifted slightly as TJ joined the four men.

"How's he doing, TJ?" Young asked concernedly.

"Well, I've reset his nose and stemmed the bleeding," TJ stated, going for the good news first. "From what I can tell, he's got a closed fracture in his right forearm, and I'd have to say he's got a least four ribs broken, maybe one in two places."

"Is that the extent of it?" Rush asked quietly, stepping out from behind Colonel Young.

"In the terms of broken bones, yeah, I think that's it," TJ agreed.

"But?" Scott prompted.

"But... I'm afraid of whether he's bleeding internally, and, if he is, how badly," Johansen admitted. "I've decided to lightly sedate him, so he's not in too much pain."

At that moment, they heard an unpleasant coughing from Eli's bunk. Johansen was instantly at Eli's side and was watching him worriedly. Her moving gave Rush a clear view of his would-be assistant.

Eli was dreadfully pale, a black eye was beginning to blossom across his right eye. The young man was coughing fitfully, it almost sounded like he was choking. He was turned onto his side by Johansen and his breathing eased. A dark liquid trickled from his mouth, a dark red liquid that the medic was quick to wipe away.

Rush blinked and looked away. He turned to Colonel Young, but didn't speak. His mind was burning with so many things that he couldn't find space to think of words for a moment. He then found himself focusing on a piece of information that he'd seen while looking through the Destiny's logs. He opened his mouth and found his voice.

"The Destiny has an infirmary," he stated. "I'll get it functional immediately."

"TJ," Young called, not breaking eye contact with Rush. "How long has he got?"

"If he's pierced a lung," TJ called from Eli's side. "Not long, sir."

"Then I'd better get started," Rush announced.

He stepped past Colonel Young and stormed away. Young heard Scott whistle quietly.

"I'm glad he's got something to do," Scott noted. "He looked ready to kill someone."

"Lt. Scott, Sgt. Greer," Young called. "I want everyone in the gate room immediately. I'm going to debrief them all on the situation, and then we're going to interview everyone."

"To find Eli's assailants, sir?" Scott asked.

"To try and get a timeline of this morning," Young explained. "According to Rush, Eli was coming back to his room three hours ago. Of course, we'll try to indentify who did this to him."

Scott and Greer began to move, picking up their rifles. They were about to leave when Young spoke again.

"When we find his attacker, I don't want them hurt," he ordered.

"Sir?!" Greer questioned objectively.

"I don't want to waste medical supplies on the bastard," Young clarified. "TJ, keep Dr. Rush in the loop."

"Yes sir," Johansen confirmed before returning her attention on Eli.

"Dismissed," Young ordered.

Without any further prompt, Scott and Greer were gone. They took different corridors so they could spread the word of a meeting quicker. Both men walked with a stance of barely controlled rage, Young noticed. He didn't blame them.

"Sir?"

Young turned to look back to Johansen. She had a worried look on her face that made his stomach drop. He pursed his lips and squared his shoulders.

"He hasn't got long, has he?" he guessed.

"Not if Rush doesn't get the infirmary up and running," Johansen confessed sadly. "Even if he does... it may already be too late."

Young didn't speak, but instead let her words sink in. He nodded understandingly before walking back down the corridor to the gate room. He could hear the KINO room door closing, probably so Johansen could attend Eli without interruption, but he didn't slow.

He had a rather unpleasant announcement to make, and he had to think about what he was going to say.


	3. News update

Hello readers of my Stargate Universe fanfiction, Enemies.

As you can all tell, this is not a new chapter update. My laptop, which has my chapter file in, has become the unfortunate victim of a rather nasty virus. The file is safe, rest assured. However, it is in vista format, and is incompatible to all other computers in my house.

I admit that I've been having writer's block on this story (I blame Dragon Age: Origins, which has subsequently taken over my creative muse). But, thanks to a few people (and to SGU returning to Sky 1) I will continue the story as soon as I can restart my laptop.

I would like to thank ruka80, Rose of Death, Gothic-Vampiress88, fergnerd, and Digi Bonds for reviewing recently and sending me personal messages.

I promise that I will try to have a chapter update sometime this month.

Thanks

LNicol1990


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